We eat with all our senses: taste, sight, smell, touch, and hearing. Some of these may seem obvious, like the way food tastes on your tongue, the aromas that may bring back childhood memories, and the beauty of the food on your plate. The way food feels in your mouth or hands and the sound of food are not as commonly thought of when sitting down to eat a meal, but they too play a role in your desire to eat and enjoyment of food. Think about the slurping sound you make when eating hot soup or the smacking sound when eating sticky peanut butter. And we often crave foods specifically for their texture, like creamy mac and cheese on a cold, rainy day or a crunchy pretzel during the mid-afternoon slump.

Crunchy foods provide a lot of sound and texture, which makes them a stand-out ingredient in some meals, especially salads. But the crunchy salad topping choices at a salad bar aren’t always the best for your waistline: croutons, crispy onions, Chinese noodles, tortilla strips. Next time you’re deciding what to add to your salad, try some of these crunchy salad add-ins instead!

Nuts and seeds – slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, pecans, walnuts, and peanuts all work well on various types of salads. Just be careful to limit the caramelized nuts, which are made with sweeteners like honey and sugar.

Crunchy vegetables – cucumbers, carrots, radishes (including daikon), fennel, jicama, snap peas, peppers, water chestnuts. Some of these may be staples in your salad, but if they’re not, add them in for some lower-calorie crunch.

The holidays may be over, but the New Year is reason enough to celebrate. If you made some New Year’s resolutions relating to a healthier lifestyle, you probably plan on eating more fruits and vegetables in the coming months.

We all know what an important role food plays in our lives, and it’s no surprise that we eat with our eyes as well as our mouths. How your food is presented and what it looks like on the plate is an important part of the dining experience. And when it comes to salad, the dressing can make all the difference in whether the salad is a hit or a flop. But if you’re not careful, your salad can turn into a diet disaster and often the culprit is lots of oil, added sweeteners, or too much salt in the dressing. Your best bet is to make your own at home.

The winter months are cold and dreary for most, but what you eat can brighten your mood and your taste buds. Here are five fruits and vegetables you’ll find in the produce aisle this winter that make some great salad fixings!

Pears:

Slice thin and toss with baby greens, toasted nuts, and blue cheese for a sweet and tangy salad

Poach pears in red wine for an elegant dessert on the lighter side

Roast pears with parsnips and cauliflower and puree into soup

Kale:

Make a winter pesto using these hearty and nutritious greens

Sauté with olive oil and garlic for a restaurant-quality side to steak or fish

Blend kale, apples, and celery for an energizing green smoothie

Pomegranates:

The ruby-red seeds provide a juicy, sweet and tart flavor to sauces, salads, dressings, and cocktails.

If you take a look around my kitchen you won’t see a lot of clutter – I try to keep the counters free of appliances, even though my husband insists our cornflower blue Kitchen Aid stand mixer would look marvelous on the island. However, as I get more creative with my recipe development and making better-for-you recipe makeovers, I can’t keep the drawers and pantry as neat and organized as I would like – there are just too many gadgets and tools that take recipes to the next level. With all the gift-giving holidays quickly approaching, if you or your loved ones like to cook, now is a great time to find out which kitchen tools are the most useful and worth having no matter how much storage space you have in your kitchen. And seeing as how we focus on salads here at Fresh Express, we thought it would be most appropriate to share our favorites for making nutritious and delicious salads and dressings that will keep you coming back for more.

Measuring Spoons and Cups

No kitchen is complete without a full set of measuring spoons and two sets of measuring cups – one with handles and spouts for measuring liquids and the other for measuring dry ingredients that can be leveled off. Although most sets of measuring spoons have the standard measurements, which include ¼ teaspoon, ½ teaspoon, 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon, I prefer the sets that include the 1/8 teaspoon and ½ tablespoon measurements. The 1/8 teaspoon is especially helpful when measuring salt for salad dressings.

Basic Utensils

Take a stroll through the kitchen department of any home goods store and you will be overwhelmed by the assortment of cooking utensils for sale. Some are not really necessary unless you would use them often. For example, unless you frequently cook delicate filets of fish, a fish spatula will take up valuable space in your kitchen. On the other hand, there are some utensils that are a must, especially for salads: namely a vegetable peeler and a whisk.

Microplane Zester/Grater

This may not seem like an essential kitchen tool, but wait until you see what an impact it has on your cooking! You can use it to grate cheese on your pasta, grate chocolate for decorative shavings on a dessert plate, or grate ginger and garlic for use in stir-fries and sauces. But my all-time favorite use of a microplane, especially when it comes to salad, is to zest citrus fruits, which add amazing flavor to salad dressings and marinades like the Lemon Vinaigrette in this salad.

Hand Juicer

You can use the tines of a fork or your own hands to squeeze juice out of lemons, limes, and oranges, but if you want to get the most juice from your fruit and keep the pits out, a handheld juicer is the way to go. And don’t underestimate the value of freshly squeezed juice for salad dressings, marinades, and sauces – lots of flavor with fewer calories and no fat or sodium. Give it a try yourself when making the Southwest Citrus Chicken Salad.

Mini Food Processor

A full sized food processor will take up a lot of counter or cabinet space, but unless you’re making big batches of pesto, pureed soups and sauces, or ground meat, a mini processor will suffice. When it comes to salads, mini processors are a great way to emulsify salad dressings, chop nuts for garnish, make your own breadcrumbs for meat and fish coatings, or make sauces like pesto, which can be used in recipes like this Penne with Arugula Pesto.

As the weather gets colder and we head into hibernation for the winter, cravings for warmer, more indulgent comfort food may begin. Most traditional comfort foods like macaroni and cheese and fried chicken are loaded with calories and fat, which will wreak havoc on your waistline and your health if you eat that way all winter. But if you make some simple swaps you won’t have to forego all of your favorites.

Take a look at the Fresh Express Salad Swaps as an example: when the craving hits for a rich and creamy pasta, instead of fettuccine Alfredo you can have a Salad with Fusilli and Homemade Creamy Dressing. The salad has the same flavors as the indulgent pasta dish and will save you more than half the calories. If you’re not in the mood for a salad, you can still lighten up these comforting meals. A few ingredient swaps and healthier cooking techniques are all you need for these comfort food recipe makeovers. Here are 5 of our favorites:

Macaroni and Cheese: All the butter, cream, and full-fat cheese make the sauce decadent but also the major source of calories in this dish. Use olive oil, low-fat milk, and light cheese to get the most flavor for fewer calories. Add herbs, spices, and some grainy mustard for a flavor boost. Reduce the amount of cheese and add pureed butternut squash to the sauce to add a creamy consistency and some added nutrients to the sauce. And switch to whole wheat pasta for a fiber boost. Give this recipe a try: Lightened-Up Macaroni and Cheese.

Mashed Potatoes: Often filled with butter and heavy cream, what seems like a simple side dish can be a calorie, fat, and sodium bomb on the plate. For a less heavy version, use a combination of olive oil, low-fat milk, and low-fat cottage cheese or low-fat plain yogurt in place of heavy cream. Instead of traditional russet potatoes, use Yukon Gold potatoes, which already have a buttery flavor and creamy texture. Or better yet, replace half the potatoes with mashed cauliflower or mashed roasted parsnips. Add garlic and chives for additional flavor and few calories, and a sprinkle of strongly flavored cheese like Parmesan will go a long way for your taste buds.

Chili with all the Fixings: Traditional meat-based chili has a lot of saturated fat and sodium, but the real kicker is all the fixings on top – sour cream, shredded cheese, and crushed corn chips are fan favorites. To make chili more wholesome, use a combination of lean ground sirloin beef and ground turkey breast or skip the meat altogether and keep it vegetarian. Load up on vegetables to add flavor and bulk up the bowl – try bell peppers, corn, onions, and different types of squash. Look for no-salt added crushed or diced tomatoes and canned beans. For the latter, be sure to drain and rinse them first. When ready to serve, limit the toppings to one or two and stick to lighter options like diced or mashed avocado, low-fat plain yogurt, and reduced-fat shredded cheese. Garnish the bowl with a squirt of lime juice and a sprinkle of cilantro to boost the flavor without added calories. You can also try the Sante Fe Style Flank Steak Chili Salad.

Creamy Soups: Get the silky, smooth texture without the cream in traditional cream-based soups by pureeing the vegetables with a hand blender and thinning it with low-sodium stock. You’ll be amazed how rich and velvety your favorite butternut squash or tomato soup is even without the cream. If you’re looking for some tang, stir in a dollop of low-fat Greek yogurt when serving. For an extra flavor boost, use fresh herbs and spices, especially fresh garlic and onion, and add a pinch of salt just before serving rather than while cooking.

Fried Chicken: Get some Southern comfort without your diet going south of the border by using white meat chicken, removing the skin, coating the chicken in egg whites and whole wheat panko breadcrumbs or crackers, and oven baking at a high temperature on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Or try this Cracker-Crusted Chicken Salad.